A Little Holiday Fling is the perfect cozy romance for the season! Ruby’s love for Christmas and her sunshine personality shine through every page, making her an instantly lovable heroine. Rashid’s grumpy, grounded nature is the perfect balance, and I adored watching him slowly soften as Ruby brought joy into his world. The family dynamics, especially with his nieces, added so much warmth and heart. The holiday setting was magical, filled with traditions, laughter, and love. This story beautifully blends festive cheer with deeper themes of family, dreams, and healing. A charming, heartfelt romance that left me smiling start to finish!

This book was better than I expected! The story was so cute- a grinch and a holiday lover meet and team up to bring some joy to his twin nieces during the holiday season. They get to participate in the magic of the holidays together and learn what really matters. This was so heartwarming and had all the elements of a cute romance with the addition of the holiday theme. I loved the different cultures in this book as well! Worth a read to get you in the holiday spirit,

Ruby is just one holiday season away from making her dreams come true— a move to the UK to one day open her own country inn. Full speed ahead until she meets the grumpy Rashid, who could make or break her dream. I genuinely enjoyed this holiday novel, Ruby was a fully formed character with depth beyond her love of the holiday season. My favorite part of the fact that even after she fell in love with Rashid she still went ahead with her plans to move.

Farah Heron's best book yet! Absolutely adorable and perfect for the holiday season.

This is sent in Toronto, Canada which was a nice change. I don't think I've ever read a holiday romance set in Canada before so it was cool to see different locations. I found it to be a magical setting.

The romance seems inspired by Pride & Prejudice which lends itself to a cute romance between Ruby and Rashid. These two are total opposites (grumpy x sunshine) which made their dynamic a lot of fun. I liked that their dates were holiday themed and trying to make Rashid believe in the spirit of the holidays. I found them to be entertaining and very cute. You will cheer for these two to get together.

I also liked how Heron wrote Ruby's disability and the meddling Desi family members. Ruby's BRCA1 gene and surgery was handled with care and seemed well researched. I found the family members to be charming.

A Little Holiday Fling will be the romcom of the season! If you like Hallmark movies, you'll love this.

I quite enjoyed this Christmas romance (which I read in July, something that's becoming sort of tradition to me). Grumpy / sunshine where he is the grumpy who is not big on Christmas celebration to put it mildly while she is the sunshine who is obsessed with everything Christmas in its most commercial aspect. Both MCs are Muslim, so Christmas is rather a secular holiday for both.
I am more with him rather than with her re holiday madness. I don't begrudge her enjoying all the over-the-top holiday stuff - Christmas markets, themed parties, season drinking and eating, decorations everywhere. It was special to her for deep personal reasons and liked how he got to see that when he got to know her better. They both started with the wrong assumption in the other and gradually saw the essence of the person behind the mask.
I loved how their families and friends were represented in the story. He comes from a rather wealthy family which gave him a ton of privilege which I was not a massive fan of but I am the same time he was generous with the resources he had, he was super supportive of his family and most importantly he was amazing with her. She comes from a much humbler background, and has major issues with her father (who is absolutely terrible). She has learned to rely on herself and him caring for her, supporting her and respecting her dreams and wishes and even the most whimsical interests served as a revelation for her. His love for her helped her see the love of her friends for her. Ultimately she learned she is not alone, she has her own support system, despite of the lack of support from her family.
Here comes my only reservation with the story. I found her obsession with the UK and everything British a bit weird. I can see her wanting to make her and her mum's dream come true but from a certain point onwards it seemed unhealthy.
Still, I appreciate that she gave it a try rather than giving it up for the sake of love. She needed to come to understanding that home is not a place but the people who care about you.
Some family and friends meddling in the end, but ultimately a sweet happy ending that felt just right.

CW: loss of parent (in the past), cancer (in the past), masectomy (in the past), blackmail, divorce

I enjoyed this book!! This author always writes an enjoyable,, well written book. The characters and interactions in the book were good. I would recommend.

I know that everyone talks about Christmas in New York, but I absolutely adore Christmas in Toronto. The city comes to life, and the Winter Village Market in the city's beloved Distillery District unleashes holiday joy upon it's visitors.

The best part of A Little Holiday Fling? Farah sets her characters and story right in the heart of it. The Winter Village is the setting for when Ruby meets grumpy (and very Grinch like) Dr. Rashid (aka Rash, thats such a funny part of the book) meet each other while she’s lugging a hot pink Christmas tree back to her apartment. Rashid, in a very grumpy way helps her move the tree, but miscommunication ensues when there's a lover of the holiday season versus one who doesn't enjoy it at all. But with a deal the two enter a holiday fling.

We criss cross the best of Toronto during the holiday season. Whether it’s skating at Nathan Phillips Square, going to see The National Ballet of Canada perform The Nutcracker, seeing the infamous holiday windows at the Hudson Bay, the light show at the massive Christmas tree at the Eaton Centre. The Toronto holiday traditions that I personally love and do with my friends and family flies off the pages. It’s infectious, joyous, romantic, and everything you want from a holiday romance.

Thank you so much Farah for this scrumptious holiday treat!

This book was cute and Christmasy and lovely, but I’m finding that I’m not the biggest fan of the “grumpy” man persona in romance stories. Guys who come across as jerks just don’t work for me at all. I did love Ruby so much, but Rashid wasn’t my favorite for her. Overall a cute, hallmark esqe Christmas story that I think will be really enjoyable for contemporary romance readers!

Heron's books are full of food, fashion, and flirting. I absolutely loved the Toronto references in this delightful Pride & Prejudice retelling. A must read for the holiday season—this book should be on everyone’s Christmas wish list!

I went into this book with high expectations, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me. While the premise was interesting, the pacing felt slow and the characters never fully pulled me in. The writing style was serviceable, but I often found myself disconnected from the story, and some plot points felt predictable or underdeveloped.

That said, I can see how other readers might enjoy it—especially those who like quieter, character-driven stories. For me, though, it just wasn’t engaging enough to stick with.

I really loved this book. Ruby and Rashid are a great grumpy-sunshine pairing, and both characters felt refreshingly grounded and real. Rashid was flawed in a believable way, but his journey toward self-awareness and emotional growth was done perfectly.

Ruby’s character arc was just as strong. Her complicated relationship with her father and the conflict around money and power added meaningful depth to her story. I also appreciated the way her mother’s memory stayed present throughout the book.

One of the other standout elements was Jasmine’s story. It was powerful to see another strong woman navigating her own path and showing resilience in a very different way. This book didn’t just give us a romance, it gave us a multi-dimensional look at women claiming space and agency in their lives. All of the women in this book are pretty bad-ass.

And of course, can’t forget the best part.. found family! The book is full of warmth, love, and the joy of connection, especially during the holidays. It’s one of the few holiday romances that truly centers the season. The holidays aren’t just a setting, they shape the plot. Heron also thoughtfully explores how the holidays can carry meaning across cultures and religions, and how they can help heal parts of our inner child, even if we never got to experience them the way we imagined.

I also really appreciated the way the story touched on the balance between consumerism and enjoying the season for what it truly is. It added a thoughtful touch without ever feeling heavy-handed.

The friends-to-lovers romance, the tension on the page, the Jane Austen references- ugh I loved all of it.

To put it plainly- I loved every part of this book and can’t wait to read more from Farah Heron!!

Thank you Forever pub for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

There were definitely moments I wanted to yell at Ruby, but I still adored her so much! Ayesha completely stole the show for me—she had me laughing out loud more than once. And Rashid? Absolutely loved him. The culture woven into this story made it so rich and warm, and the holiday atmosphere gave it that perfect cozy sparkle. Such a wonderful holiday read! I’m so grateful I got to enjoy this as an ARC! Big thank you to Forever and NetGalley!!

I absolutely LOVE Ruby!!! I had such a wonderful time watching her bring Christmas joy to the biggest grump ever. Have I mentioned I live grumpy sunshine??? Rashid is team grumpy but he's also so sweet and kind and such a good brother and uncle!! I loved the twins too, so so much. The whole story was filled with happiness and growth and different forms of love....just a joy to read!!!

I will read anything Farah Heron writes but especially Holiday books! This had so many of my favorite things. Loved it.

This one was not for me. I look for books that have a timeless feel and the amount of contemporary references made this feel a bit shallow. This is definitely a personal preference. The writing wasn't bad and I can see that this would appeal to some people, it just didn't appeal to me.

The perfect holiday romance!! Farrah Heron has written such a heartwarming Christmas with a grumpy but soft hearted MMC and an upbeat and passionate FMC. The characters felt real and relatable, and you just can’t help but feel the holiday spirit after reading!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Farah Heron for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a festive, lighthearted holiday read. The story focuses on Ruby and Rashid, who meet while Ruby is struggling to carry home a Christmas tree. This is a grumpy/sunshine book and I particularly enjoyed the strong imagery of Christmastime in Canada. It felt like I was walking among the stalls in the holiday market with snow crunching beneath my feet and I could practically taste the eggnog chai. Overall, this is a cute novel, though I struggled to connect with Ruby. She came across as superficial and I wasn’t thrilled that she tried to use Rashid or the twins to gain access to his family’s hotel business.

Great holiday romance with all the Hallmark-y feels. The majority of the book was set in Canada with the winter markets highlighted. This grumpy-sunshine story also had a great found family vibe. You may recognize a few characters if you’ve read previous books by this author, but it can be read as a stand-alone for sure.

Thanks to Forever Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for A Little Holiday Fling to come out October 21, 2025.

DNF at 26% - won't be rating on Goodreads

I was SO excited for this book. Christmas? Canada? UK-loving heroine? I also love that it's a BIPOC romance since there are so few non-white holiday romances. But this is a prime example of why enemies-to-lovers is one of my least favourite tropes. Rashid was a jerk from the first moment we met him. He was unforgivably rude, haughty, and combative for literally no reason, and it was specifically with Ruby and no one else. I also didn't love how Ruby basically used everyone around her for her own gain - she rekindled her relationship with her dad because he could do something for her, she wanted to befriend Jasmine and impress Rashid so they would put her in contact with their hotel-owning dad. There was just nothing working for me with this one, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy, and to Farah Heron for the Christmas in July treat!
As the world’s biggest sucker for holiday romances, I was excited to read this one. It was refreshing to see Ruby’s enthusiasm for all her passions—fashion, food, British culture, beauty and skincare (shut up, Rashid), and the holiday season—balanced with both an appreciation for the finity of life and keen insights on misogyny. Rashid came across as a one-note grump to start, but it quickly became clear that he contained hidden depths and incredible love for his family. These two brought out the best in each other and made me root for them as a couple.
In addition to being a fun grumpy-sunshine romance, this also served as an inadvertent commercial for Toronto at Christmastime, Heron paints a vivid picture of the sights, sounds, and tastes (another one not to read on an empty stomach!) that I found myself wanting to experience it all firsthand.
Finally, having read Heron’s other traditionally published books, the scenes with Reena, Nadim (ACCIDENTALLY ENGAGED), and Marley (JUST PLAYING HOUSE) were like reuniting with old friends for me. But a first-time reader would embrace Ruby’s story as a stand-alone, wish for more about the side characters, and be delighted to learn that many of them have their own books.